As always, there may be spoilers here. And the trailer may be NSFW and/or NSFL.
Session: Bring Your Own Movie Month (Week 5, Christina)
Movie: The Naked Kiss (1964)
Directed by Samuel Fuller
A prostitute ditches the business and tries to go straight. But is a nice simple life out of the life in the cards? Horror ensues.
Reaction and Other Folderol:
The Naked Kiss has kind of a dual personality. It's got one of the most powerful opening scenes I can recall seeing. It was exciting and dramatic, and had me wondering what was going on. And, for what it's worth, its musical accompaniment was superb. After that opening, it slows down a bit -- which I suppose, is necessary. As thrilling as it is to be at the redline, you can't maintain that intensity indefinitely.
After that opening scene there's a stretch where the movie maintains a level of interest, but it does slowly weaken. The thing is, there's one moment -- maybe two thirds of the way through -- that just turns everything upside down. And from then on, it's a wild ride to the end.
It's important to remember that tNK is from 1964—a time when the code still limited movie content. Dealing with topics such as prostitution, pedophilia and abortion, it was envelope-pushing for its time. And I give it credit for that. I also give it credit for the tight dialogue that one would expect from a film noir.
Another favorite thing about this movie is the ambiguous portrayal of Griff, the cop (Anthony Eisley). I spent a lot of the film trying to figure him out. And every time I thought I understood him, something happened to change my perception. It was quite interesting.
Ratings
Me: 8.7
Bob-O: 8.8
Dave: 9.8
Ethan: 10
Joe: 10
Keith: 9.8
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